Barcelona will compete against Manchester United in the EL (Europe League) as they pursue glory on the continent. In matchup with PSV Eindhoven, Sevilla will defend the title, they’ve won more times than any other team in history.
The Blaugrana intend to win the tournament to restore some of their dignity after their significant investment failed to advance them past the CL (Champions League) group stages. They beat Napoli and Fenerbahce last season before losing to Eintracht Frankfurt in the quarterfinals.
The history repeats: Barcelona vs Manchester United
These 2 (MU and Barça) were competing in the CL final eleven years ago, making it possibly the most glamorous match that could have been selected at random. They are now facing off in the EL.
Even though Barcelona is maintaining up with FC Real Madrid in La Liga, Xavi Hernandez’s revolution came to an abrupt end in the CL (Champions League) group stages. He will bet that a fully functional defense can significantly lessen their propensity to falter in the middle of the week.
Under Erik ten Hag, Manchester United is experiencing its own transformation, and there’ve been hiccups as to be expected. After being defeated by Unai Emery’s Aston Villa over the weekend, their Premier League performance has improved, placing them in fifth place, just outside the Champions League positions.
13 meetings between the two have been to place, with Barcelona coming out on top. Against the Red Devils, the Catalans have six victories, three draws, and four defeats. Since the 2011 final, they have only met once, in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Champions League, with Barcelona coming out on top 4-0 on aggregate due to Lionel Messi.
PSV will face Sevillia: Who will take the victory?
Luuk de Jong, the captain of PSV Eindhoven, will return to Sevilla. PSV, a quality team led by van Nistlerooij and including highly regarded players Xavi Simons and Cody Gakpo, came in second place to the Gunners in their group by a razor-thin margin.
After a terrible beginning to the season that has left them in 17th place in the standings, Jorge Sampaoli will indeed be hoping his team can bounce back from injuries and bad play. The only difference in goals scored keeps them above the relegation zone. In the absence of a turnaround, PSV will feel confident facing the poorest Sevilla in recent seasons.
